Best Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools 2026/27

Buckinghamshire has 13 grammar schools and operates a fully selective secondary school system. The grammar schools are located across Aylesbury, High Wycombe, Amersham, Chesham, Marlow, Beaconsfield, Burnham and Buckingham.

The Buckinghamshire 11+ is officially called the Secondary Transfer Test (STT). It is administered by GL Assessment and covers four subjects: Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, English and Mathematics. The test is multiple choice format.

The qualifying standardised score is typically 121 — this is the threshold at which a child is considered eligible for a Buckinghamshire grammar school place. The standardised score accounts for the candidate's age at time of testing.

For September 2027 entry, Buckinghamshire Council has confirmed these dates: the practice test is on 8 September 2026, the Secondary Transfer Test (STT) on 10 September 2026, results are released on 9 October 2026, and secondary school applications must reach your home local authority by 31 October 2026. Registration for this cycle ran from 1 May to 2 June 2026 and is now closed. Always confirm dates on buckinghamshire.gov.uk before relying on a timetable.

For September 2027 entry, STT registration opened on 1 May 2026 and closed at 3pm on 2 June 2026 — this deadline has now passed and late entries are not normally accepted. For September 2028 entry, registration is expected to open in May 2027. Children attending a state-funded Buckinghamshire primary school are auto-enrolled and do not need to register. Out-of-county families (including Milton Keynes) must register directly with Buckinghamshire Council. The separate Local Authority secondary school application deadline is 31 October.

No — children at Buckinghamshire primary schools are automatically entered for the Secondary Transfer Test through their school. Only out-of-county families need to register separately. You can opt your child out if you do not wish them to sit the test.

Buckinghamshire does not use fixed catchment areas to decide who is eligible — any qualified Buckinghamshire-resident child can apply to any of the 13 grammar schools. However, when a school receives more qualified applicants than places, distance from the school (measured from your home address as at 1 September) is a key oversubscription criterion, so in practice each popular school has an effective catchment that changes year to year. Check the individual school's admissions policy for its exact criteria and the furthest distance offered a place last year.

Boys' schools include Aylesbury Grammar School, Royal Grammar School High Wycombe, Dr Challoner's Grammar School and John Hampden Grammar School. Girls' schools include Aylesbury High School, Wycombe High School, Dr Challoner's High School and Beaconsfield High School. Co-educational schools include Chesham Grammar, Sir Henry Floyd Grammar, Sir William Borlase's Grammar, Burnham Grammar and The Royal Latin School.

Prepare across all four STT subjects — Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, English and Mathematics — using GL Assessment-style multiple choice papers. Buckinghamshire offers a practice test in early September that gives children experience of the format. Most families begin focused preparation in Year 5. Prep4All provides practice papers and adaptive lessons in all four 11+ subjects.

Yes. Milton Keynes is a separate local authority and has no grammar schools of its own, but children who live in or attend school in Milton Keynes can register to sit the Buckinghamshire Secondary Transfer Test and apply for a Buckinghamshire grammar school. Because they are not entered automatically, Milton Keynes families must register directly with Buckinghamshire Council during the registration window (1 May to 2 June for September 2027 entry). If a school is oversubscribed, distance from the school is used to allocate places, which can make the nearest Buckinghamshire grammar schools (such as The Royal Latin School in Buckingham) the most realistic options.

All 13 Buckinghamshire grammar schools are high-performing and most are rated Outstanding by Ofsted. In recent Sunday Times Parent Power rankings, Aylesbury Grammar School, Dr Challoner's High School and Aylesbury High School have been among the highest-placed, with the large majority of pupils achieving top GCSE grades. The "best" school depends on what matters to your family — single-sex or co-educational, location and distance, results and ethos — so compare each school's Ofsted rating, results and admissions policy in the list above.

Children need an age-standardised score of at least 121 across the Secondary Transfer Test to be considered qualified for a Buckinghamshire grammar school place. Because the score is standardised for age, younger children in the year group are not disadvantaged. Around 30% of children who sit the test qualify each year, with a small additional number qualified on review or appeal. Qualifying does not guarantee a place at a particular school — places at oversubscribed schools are allocated using each school's admissions criteria, including distance.

Yes — all 13 Buckinghamshire grammar schools admit students from ages 11 to 18 and have sixth forms. Royal Grammar School High Wycombe also offers state boarding and is becoming co-educational in the sixth form. Sixth-form entry is separate from 11+ admission and is based on GCSE grades, so contact each school directly for its sixth-form entry requirements and application deadlines.

If your child does not attend a state-funded Buckinghamshire primary school — including families in Milton Keynes, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire and London boroughs — you must register directly with Buckinghamshire Council during the registration window. For September 2027 entry this ran from 1 May to 2 June 2026; for September 2028 entry it is expected to open in May 2027. Registration is free, and late entries are not normally accepted, so note the deadline well in advance.